How To See Like An Artist: For All Creative People

When we see an object we cannot identify, we look at it with curiosity. We study its color, shape, texture, and size with the same curiosity we had as a child. When we are looking at this unidentifiable object we are present in the moment enjoying its Beauty and the fact that we get to see and enjoy its creation. We avoid labeling the object because that stands in the way of deeper perception. We were looking through the eyes of an artist.

At some point in everyone’s younger years of life, we went through a stage of creativity, where every object in our household could be used for something creative. you could make paper airplanes out of your parent’s important tax documents, or draw all over the white walls. The point is, that when we were young we didn’t limit our imaginations.

So then the question becomes: What Changed?

The answer to that question can be a thousand different things, But the one I keep returning to is that we aren’t viewing the world like artists anymore. At some point in our lives, we stopped seeing the world through the lens of an artist because potentially people wrongly forced you out of it, whether it was your parents, friends, teachers, or even our own doings so we could “fit in” with the crowd.

I’ve accumulated four main pillars consisting of how the artist actually views the world and the situations it brings.

Pillar 1: The artist is present

To be present means focusing on what is in front of you whatever it may be. If you are talking with a friend try your best to be there, don’t be thinking about what you are going to say next, and don’t be thinking about something you have to do after you’re done talking. You have to learn to just be and to listen.

Being present can also means focusing on the journey, not the destination. Focus on the things you have now, enjoy the processes of your creative work, and enjoy the early mornings of deep work. These are the things we should be present in the moment with.

Focusing on what is right in front of you is a practice. It might take time to develop the skill, but it is 100% worth it in the end.

Pillar 2: The artist is curious

The artist asks questions about the things they don’t understand or what they want more clarity on. We should always be trying to solve some sort of question, and to always be hunting for answers you have to be a curious person, that’s a given.

Harness the little kid in you to frequently be questioning the things around you, don’t let your beliefs become cemented into your mind, and be open to questioning your own beliefs.

Pillar 3: An artist pays attention to detail

I notice the attention to detail and the quality of work you do are often linked together. Up until just a couple of years ago, I was a lazy person. For anything I had to do I would try my best to cut corners and half-ass the whole thing. I then found that I was never fulfilled with any of the work I did.

If you don’t pay attention to detail on any of your projects the quality or end result of that project won’t be anything worth looking back on It won't be anything you’re proud of. And being proud of the work you create is one of the most fulfilling things in life.

The quantity of quality work you put out there, the bigger the chance you have of impacting more people.

Pillar 4: The artist sees everything as a blessing

To see everything that happens to you as a blessing is such a hard but powerful thing to do. I think if you generally live by this rule and try your best to apply it to every situation in your life, you will be more than great.

Another way of applying this rule is to see everything as an opportunity to create something. Just like when we were kids we found every excuse to create something out of random objects we find. Do that again! Create Stories out of memories. Use random objects in your house for your projects, don’t go out and buy some expensive new tool for your project, create something with random objects around the house!

Anything can be used to your advantage, whether it’s a situation or some object.

Ending Thoughts

Practice the four pillars we talked about today, and that is how you can start to see the world with more color and beauty I feel this is needed in today's world. We spend too much time focusing on the negatives and on the bad things that happen to us. but how about all the good?

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You can also watch my video on this topic: https://youtu.be/yYSO-qNa4kc